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Thursday, March 12, 2009

In his open letter to Rt Hon Beverley McLachlin PC Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Canada CHAMBERS OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE, Obang calling for Birtukan realse.

I am writing to you as a Canadian citizen and as an executive member of the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia, a non-political movement of Ethiopians working for human rights, freedom, justice, equality and peace in Ethiopia, Obang Metho wrote on his letter.

I want to bring to your attention the imprisonment of a prominent young Ethiopian woman, Ms. Birtukan Mideksa, whom Amnesty International considers a prisoner of conscience. A lawyer and former judge, Birtukan is the first woman to ever lead a major political party in Ethiopia. She is also the mother of a four-year-old daughter.

Obang Metho, Executive Member of the Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia, explained in his letter that Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented egregious human rights abuses by the Ethiopian government. Although countries like our own Canada have contributed several millions of dollars to promote good governance in Ethiopia, the independence of the judiciary and a true parliamentary system are unknown to Ethiopia. The government suppresses political activity and detains and harasses the opposition at will. Internet access is significantly curtailed using software and technicians from China at a significant cost to the nation. Ms. Birtukan

Ms. Birtukan has been in a solitary confinement for more than two months in a horrible prison infested with bugs and rodents for doing the right thing that might otherwise be honoured were she living in a free society such as Canada, he added. In his letter, Obang said thatBirtukan is only 35, but she has become a voice for freedom in a repressive society, rife with injustice, oppression and hardship, speaking up for her fellow Ethiopians to the US Congress, the European Parliament and to Ethiopians in Canada and in other places in the world.

Obang, an Ethiopian-born Canadian, wrote to the Chief Justice, we in Canada can celebrate this day, knowing we have come a long way to advance the well being of women in this country, but until all women and human kind are free, we are not free—for our humanity does not have any gender, racial, cultural, class, ethnic, religious, national or geographical boundaries.

Parenting Across Borders

The DSKM Ethiopian Orthodox Church hopes to help children preserve their culture and excel in US schools. Courtesy of DSKM Education DepartmentIn Washington, D.C.,’s long-standing Ethiopian community, many families look to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to connect their children to the Ethiopian community. Reporter Dereje Desta visits the Re’ese Adbarat Debre Selam Kidest Mariam Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church, which is trying to use language education and tutoring to help parents preserve culture, while improving children’s ability to access education. (audio)